After School Physical Activity Interventions: Locating and Increasing Participation

Background/Purpose: In an effort to increase physical activity (PA) for youth populations and as a response to dwindling PA in the school day, schools may choose to organize after school PA programming. Upon plans for implementation, it is important to keep strategies for locating and attracting participants a priority in order to increase impact. With input from parents and children, after school PA programs will be better equipped to attract children to the PA program, resulting in greater participation, enjoyment, and increased PA. Thus, the purpose of this study was to gain insight into parents’ and children’s decision-making processes as to why they participated and what might attract others.

Method: A qualitative survey and group interview constructivist grounded theory design (Charmaz, 2006) was used to gain insight from 38 youth and 38 parents involved in Step up for Health, an afterschool PA program geared toward families in East Central Indiana. In the first week of the program, parents received a survey along with the consent form for their child to participate and youth participants were interviewed in two large groups, 19 participants in each. Responses to the surveys and group interviews were coded into categories to form a resulting theory for participation.

Analysis/Results: The results of the study reflected the theory of reasoned action: youth and parents chose to participate based on their own attitudes towards the program and in consideration of others’ attitudes. One hundred percent of participating parents referenced the utility of the program as a PA outlet and identified their own child as an influential figure in allowing their child to participate in the program. A majority of youth participants identified their physical education teacher as being influential in their decision to participate as well as perceiving the program to be fun and a great way to stay healthy.

Conclusion: When initiating afterschool programming with the desire to gain or increase participation, program leaders must be in tune with the current attitudes towards fitness programming; a strong element of why youth asked parents to participate and why parents chose to let their child participate was the idea of after school programming as a health benefit.  Program leaders must also identify influential figures that may affect the attitudes of youth and parents in order to promote the program.